San Francisco’s Conspiracy of Beards is a 30-man choir that performs gritty, original arrangements of the songs of Leonard Cohen. Formed in 2003 through the inspiration of the late Peter Kadyk, this a Capella group has become known for their live performances at Bay Area venues such as the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, Cafe du Nord, The Great American Music Hall, and The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, as well as in bars, bookstores, hospices and various other community centers. The choir has also been featured on National Public Radio’s “West Coast Live,” on KFOG, KPFA, WFMU and on PBS television station KQED-TV, and made its East Coast debut in Spring 2008 at the Highline Ballroom and Bowery Poetry Club. The Beards now make an annual spring pilgrimage to New York for a whirlwind of shows around Manhattan and Brooklyn.

Transforming Cohen’s simple melodies into complex 4- and 5-part harmonies, the group achieves a sound that is both robust and tender, with influences of indie rock, jazz, gospel, barbershop, classical and doo-wop in the unique arrangements the choir creates. Using the genius of Cohen’s words, the Beards inspire audiences to ponder romance, politics, sex, longing and spirituality, all amid laughter and cheers.

“Like its inspiration, the group is deeply sincere, humble and humorous.”
—Las Vegas Sun

“Chelsea Hotel #2,” as performed by the somber San Francisco all-male choir, is perfect in every way.”
—San Francisco Chronicle